Monday, June 4, 2012

Easy Hummus with Cavender's

One of the easiest and most versatile dips is hummus — and it's good for you! It's packed with protein from the garbanzo beans, aka chickpeas. A Mediterranean dip now popular in the US can be used with regular tortilla chips, pita bread, pita chips, cucumbers or in a wrap. I love having a double batch on hand for when I get late night cravings and know ice cream isn't the best choice. This is an easy recipe with a little bit of a kick from the famous all-purpose Greek seasoning: Cavender's which is blended in the Ozark Mountains of Northwest Arkansas.

In a food processor add 1 can of garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained. You can reserve a couple for a cute garnish. Add the 2 cloves minced garlic, juice from 1 lemon, 1.5 Tbsp Tahini (which is now easily found at the grocery store — ask someone if you can't find it), 1/2 tsp salt, 1 Tbsp Cavender's, 2 Tbsp olive oil and blend until smooth. If the dip is a little too thick for your liking you can always add a little water (slowly) until desired consistency. I like really smooth Hummus! What is Tahini, do you ask? Well it is a paste of ground sesame seeds. It will keep for quite some time in the fridge, but it will separate with the oil being on top. Make sure to stir it with a spoon before using.

Optional garnishes include a sprig of cilantro, sprinkle of paprika for color, a sprinkle of Cavender's, drizzle of olive oil, and/or a few garbanzo beans. I may have done all of them for this picture. I think the best way to eat hummus is either on toasted pita wedges or sliced cucumbers. You can also have them with fresh torn pita. To toast the pita, slice the circles in half which will create two half-moon pockets. Tear the two half moons apart along the curved edges to create a total of four half moons. Cut into wedges, brush or spray with olive oil and toast in the oven at 400 degrees for just a few minutes until crispy. To create beautiful cucumber discs, use a potato peeler to peel lines down the whole cucumber leaving a little bit skin in between each raw strip. Slice into discs and enjoy! I don't mind the seeds in cucumber, but if you do, get English Cucumbers.

This looks so delicious! It does not appear that this spice blend, Cavenders Greek Seasoning is sold in Canada. I could not find any shipping info. Please, if anyone knows of an alternative, let me know. Thanks.